top of page
Prophetic Culture
The Germination of the Light of Prophecy: A Study in Hebrew Prophetic Thought, from its Ancient Culture to its Modern Revival
Listen to the audio version of this page
Prophetic CulturePre-Prophetic Cinema
00:00 / 29:13
Introduction: The Prophetic Imperative in the Era of Redemption
The philosophy of Israeli Redemption, as elucidated in the teachings of Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook and his prominent interpreters, does not view the Return to Zion as a merely political process. At the heart of the national revival pulses a deeper rhythm, a spiritual demand for comprehensive renewal, the essence and pinnacle of which is the renewal of prophecy.
This essay will argue that prophecy, according to this view, is not an exotic addition or a spiritual "bonus" for a nation returned to its land, but rather constitutes the normal and natural ontological state of the Israeli nation.
Its prolonged absence, spanning nearly 2,400 years, is nothing less than a "defect and disease," a spiritual-national pathology which the process of redemption is obligated to heal.
This document will trace the dialectical journey of the prophetic spirit: beginning with its holistic and complete expression in antiquity, through its fragmentation, decline, and atrophy during the long exile, and concluding with the renewed and elevated synthesis toward which it strives in the modern era of revival.
Furthermore, the essay will expose the unique and surprising connection between the revival of prophecy and the world of modern creation and art. According to Rabbi Uri Sherki's interpretation of Rav Kook's teachings, the unprecedented intensification of the power of imagination in contemporary culture—manifested in literature, mass media, and especially the art of cinema—is not necessarily a sign of degeneration.
Beneath the veneer of the profane, and sometimes even the Klipah (husk), a profound "pre-prophetic" process is taking place: a chaotic yet necessary preparation of the collective imaginative vessel for its future sanctification and reintegration into a complete and rectified spiritual framework.
To substantiate these claims, the essay will rely exclusively on the analysis and synthesis of key philosophical sources: the mystical-philosophical writings of Rav Kook, as they appear in his book Orot HaKodesh (Lights of Holiness), and the modern, original interpretations of thinkers continuing his path, primarily Rabbi Yehuda Leon Ashkenazi (Manitou) and Rabbi Uri Sherki.
The goal of the essay is to create a coherent and profound conceptual tapestry, exposing a systematic and comprehensive understanding of Hebrew prophecy as a living, dynamic phenomenon, more relevant than ever to the era of revival.
Part A: The Essence of the Prophetic Experience
1. The Prophetic Dialogue: "Face to Face" with the Personal God
At the root of the distinction between prophetic consciousness and all other forms of thought, primarily philosophy, lies a conceptual revolution concerning the very essence of divinity and the relationship to it.
While philosophy, at its best, deals with an abstract and impersonal God—a primary principle, a "First Cause," or an "Active Intellect"—prophecy is first and foremost an interpersonal encounter.
The prophetic God is not a concept but an entity possessing Will, initiating a direct and intimate dialogue with man by saying "Anochi" (I am).
This address in the first person, as explained by Rabbi Yehuda Leon Ashkenazi (Manitou), is the essential turning point distinguishing Hebrew revelation from all philosophical thought. The God of the philosophers, being devoid of will and personality, is incapable of saying "I."
Contrary to the prevailing Western perception, which views prophecy primarily as foretelling the future, the essence of Hebrew prophecy does not lie in knowing what is to come. As Rabbi Uri Sherki emphasizes, this perception reduces the prophet to a meteorologist and is a fundamental misunderstanding of the phenomenon.
The core of prophecy is not what is said, but the very fact that "God speaks to man." It is a phenomenon of dialogue, an encounter between two personalities, two subjects: the divine and the human.
The opening of the Ten Commandments, "I am the Lord your God" (אָנֹכִי ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ), establishes the divine as an "I," a personality capable of initiating discourse. This stands in stark contrast to the God of the philosophers, who is an impersonal principle, a "He" about whom one can speculate but not converse with.
Manitou's foundational distinction between the Hebrew paradigm of 'hearing' (שמיעה) and the Greek paradigm of 'seeing' (ראייה) illuminates this point. 'Hearing' implies relation, dialogue, the reception of the voice of the Other. 'Seeing' implies observation, objectification, and the construction of a theory from a distance.
The philosopher observes the world; the prophet listens to the word of God that constitutes the world.
It follows that philosophy arises precisely from the absence of prophecy, from a state in which the divine voice is no longer heard. Moreover, according to Rabbi Sherki's interpretation of the Book of Genesis, prophecy is not a supernatural "bonus," but the normative and defining state of humanity. Adam was created, and immediately God spoke with him. The loss of prophecy is therefore a deviation, a state of exile from our human essence.
Manitou's original analysis of the Revelation at Sinai reveals that this revelation not only did not stem from a human need but was imposed upon a nation entirely uninterested in it.
The plan of the Exodus generation was purely national-political: to reach the promised Land of Canaan. The stop at Mount Sinai and the demand to receive the Torah were perceived as an undesirable deviation from the original goal, an invention of Moses exploiting his status to impose a foreign "religious philosophy" upon them.
This textual fact serves as a decisive answer to the classical critique of religion, which argues that revelation is a human invention stemming from a deep psychological need for connection with the divine.
The biblical narrative itself testifies that the recipients of the revelation naturally rejected it, and it was given to them despite their opposition.
The uniqueness of the revelation at Sinai is intensified by the identity of the revealing God. As Manitou emphasizes, in all revelation stories worldwide, except those stemming from Judaism, the revealing god is an immanent entity, a force of nature, or a lesser deity that is part of the cosmos.
Israeli prophecy is the only one in human history describing the revelation of the transcendent Creator of the world, who stands outside and above creation.
The utter improbability of such an event—the idea that the Creator of the universe would reveal Himself to command the details of daily life—is so alien to the human psyche that it itself becomes evidence of its truth. There is no natural inclination in the human soul to invent such a story.
This distinction between prophetic and philosophical consciousness is sharpened through the concepts of Rabbi David Cohen, "the Nazirite," who distinguished between "Auditory Logic" (היגיון שמעי) and "Visual Logic" (היגיון הסתכלותי).
Western-philosophical logic is visual: based on sight, objective analysis, and the aspiration for intellectual control over reality.
In contrast, Israeli-prophetic logic is auditory: based on listening, acceptance, humility, and patience. Prophecy belongs to the world of hearing, which acknowledges the existence of a truth external to man, a truth to be received in dialogue.
Philosophy, conversely, belongs to the world of sight, where man is the center of cognition and determines the standards of truth himself.
The struggle between "Jerusalem" and "Athens" is not just an ideological struggle, but a clash between two models of human consciousness: the dialogic-receptive consciousness versus the autonomous-conquering consciousness.
2. The Synthesis of the Soul's Powers: Intellect, Imagination, and Will in Prophetic Consciousness
Prophecy, according to the thought of Rav Kook and Rabbi Sherki, is not the activation of a single psychic power, but a state of perfect unity and harmony among all the central powers of the soul: the Intellect (שכל), the Imagination (דמיון), and the Will (רצון).
The prophet is a complete person, an integrative personality whose powers have reached the peak of their development and operate in full synthesis, each illuminating and fertilizing the others.
This state of inner unity is a necessary condition for receiving the divine influx, for "Shekhinta la sharya be'atar pagim" (השכינה אינה שורה במקום פגום)—the Divine Presence does not dwell in a flawed or partial place.
Rav Kook, in his writings, describes the relationship between intellect and imagination in prophecy as a dynamic process of ascension. It is not about the intellect controlling the imagination, as rationalist philosophy argued, but about "the complete congruence of the intellect with the imagination."
This process involves "the elevation of the imagination to the nobility and purity of the intellect," and ultimately, "the unification of these two powers in the utmost perfection."
Imagination is not perceived as an inferior force to be restrained, but as a rich and creative life force, a "mirror of reality," which, through a process of refinement and sanctification, unites with the clear intellect to create a higher consciousness capable of grasping supernal secrets.
Achieving this high level of psychic perfection is not merely an intellectual matter but requires comprehensive moral and emotional training. The sources detail the necessary conditions for prophecy, as summarized by Maimonides (Rambam): the candidate for prophecy must be "Wise, Heroic, and Rich."
"Wise"—possessing developed intellectual ability; "Heroic"—conquering his inclination, possessing self-control and mental balance; and "Rich"—content with his lot, possessing emotional and spiritual stability.
Above all these stands another fundamental condition: Joy. "Prophecy does not dwell except out of joy." Maimonides saw the absence of joy in exile, under "the rule of the foolish gentiles," as the central reason for the cessation of prophecy.
This demand for personal perfection transforms morality into ontology: good character traits are not just external "rules of conduct," but constitute the inner structure of the healthy and complete soul.
A moral flaw, therefore, is not just a behavioral failure, but a cognitive and ontological defect, distorting the ability to perceive true reality and preventing contact with the divine influx.
3. Active Prophecy vs. Observant Wisdom
In his book Orot HaKodesh, Rav Kook makes a fundamental distinction between two forms of spiritual cognition: "Active Prophecy" (נבואה פועלת) and "Wisdom" (חכמה).
While wisdom, even at its highest level, is an "observation" (הסתכלות) of reality—whether superficial or profound—it remains external to it and does not act upon its essence.
In contrast, prophecy is an "observation of life," a consciousness in which "the action and creation of reality, its orders and its inwardness, are intertwined together with it."
The prophet is not merely a passive observer of existence; he is inherently involved in it, seeing it "from the aspect that he and his selfhood are intermingled with it in its totality," and therefore, his consciousness and creation act upon reality and change it
This is the reason, explains Rav Kook, that the ability to perform miracles and control limited reality is closely linked to prophecy in Israel.
Even after the cessation of prophecy in its full and overt sense, its power did not disappear entirely.
There remained in the world an "appearance like a remnant of prophecy" (הופעה כשריד הנבואה)—a spiritual and creative revelation, a spark of that active consciousness, which continues to pulse in the souls of select individuals in Israel, albeit in a more limited and concealed form.
This remnant is the source of all true innovation and all original creation stemming from the depth of the soul.
This distinction connects to the essential difference between "Sacred Wisdom" (חכמת הקודש) and "Secular Wisdom" (חכמת החול).
Worldly wisdoms, explains Rav Kook, can depict sublime matters, but they lack the "operational quality" to influence the essence of the learner. They touch only his scientific faculty.
In contrast, Sacred Wisdom, stemming "from the source of the Life of life," carries the power to "imprint a new and prominent form upon the contemplating soul" and transform man into a "new creation."
It does not merely describe reality; it generates it, both in the world and in the soul.
Prophecy, then, is the supreme expression of this active Sacred Wisdom, which reunites cognition with existence, and thought with action.
Part B: The Lost World and the Long Silence
1. A Living Tradition: Reconstructing the Culture of Prophecy in Antiquity
Prophecy in ancient Israel was not a random experience of isolated individuals, but a developed and organized socio-cultural phenomenon.
The sources, as explained by Rabbi Sherki, describe a historical reality of a complete prophetic culture, which included dedicated institutions for the training of prophets.
"Schools for Prophets" operated throughout the land, where "the sons of the prophets" (בני הנביאים)—students of prophecy who walked in "bands" (להקות)—devoted themselves to acquiring the tools required to attain the Holy Spirit.
The curriculum in these institutions was holistic, aiming to develop the complete person, not just their intellectual abilities.
The studies included comprehensive training in several key areas: Music, which served as a central tool for inspiring joy and spiritual elevation, necessary conditions for prophecy; Seclusion and Meditation, designed to develop concentration, intention (כוונה), and deep inner listening;
Physical Training, intended to ensure the health of body and mind, in accordance with the requirement that the prophet be "heroic"; and first and foremost, special emphasis was placed on the "Refinement of the Imagination" (שכלול הדמיון).
Imagination was not perceived as an inferior force to be restrained, but as a vital cognitive tool, a central conduit for receiving the divine influx, which must be refined, purified, and sanctified.
This pedagogical-spiritual model reveals that prophecy was perceived as a broad social phenomenon, an integral part of the political, religious, and cultural fabric of the nation.
The Sages testify that "Many prophets stood for Israel, twice the number of those who left Egypt," meaning that over a million prophets (male and female) were active throughout the generations.
This fact indicates that prophecy was not the domain of a select few, but a national talent, an Israeli virtue (Segula), systematically and organizationally cultivated at the heart of society.
2. Causes of the Decline: Exile, Moral Failure, and Spiritual Fragmentation
The decline of this magnificent prophetic culture and the complete cessation of prophecy stemmed from a combination of physical, moral, and spiritual factors, which created a profound crisis in the nation's identity.
First and foremost, there is a necessary and unbreakable connection between prophecy and the Land of Israel.
Orot HaKodesh firmly states that "Sacred Wisdom does not shine except in the Land of Israel." The Land is not just a geographical backdrop, but a living "spiritual fountain," a vital source of inspiration for the nation's soul. The physical exile from the Holy Land was, therefore, the central and direct cause of the spiritual exile of prophecy.
Alongside the geographical factor, Rabbi Sherki points to moral failure as a central reason for the decline. The prophets, despite their spiritual power, "failed in their mission to elevate the moral state of man."
The persistent lack of response by the people to the word of the prophets, and the descent into idolatry, moral corruption, and bloodshed, ultimately led to the destruction of the Temple, exile, and the cessation of the prophetic conduit.
The cessation of prophecy was not just the disappearance of a phenomenon, but a process of internal fragmentation and disintegration of the complete human consciousness.
The holistic profile of the prophet, which united intellect, imagination, and emotion, split apart. As Rabbi Sherki explains the Talmudic statement, prophecy "was given to fools (unbridled imagination), to the wise (analytical intellect), and to infants (pure emotion)."
The era of wisdom and Halakha (Jewish law) that followed prophecy was an era of the rule of the intellect, operating detached from the holistic experience and the vital forces of imagination and emotion.
This is a "great trouble of exile," as Rav Kook calls it, a state of internal separation where Halakha and Aggadah (lore), Torah and the Holy Spirit, struggle to unite.
The cessation of prophecy, then, is not only a punishment but a necessary stage in the development of human consciousness, a "descent for the sake of ascent," in which humanity was required to develop its autonomous intellectual power ("wisdom") separately, so that in due time a higher synthesis could be created between this wisdom and the returning prophecy.
The period of exile and the Talmudic-Halakhic culture were not just passive preservation, but an intensive development of a necessary faculty—the analytical intellect—which will be a vital component of future prophecy.
Part C: Dawn of Renewal: Prophecy in the Modern Era
1. The Return to Zion as the Engine for Prophetic Revival
The connection between prophecy and the Land of Israel is not unidirectional. Just as the exile from the Land brought about the cessation of prophecy, so the physical return to the Land is the necessary condition and the central engine for its renewed awakening
. "The air of the Land of Israel makes one wise" (אווירא דארץ ישראל מחכים), and the return to the geographical and spiritual source of the nation generates a profound process of awakening the latent spiritual forces dormant in exile.
Rav Kook offers a bold theology of secularism, viewing the national revival, even in its most secular and material form, as an initial revelation of "the powers magnificent in holiness" latent in the nation's soul.
The practical energy, the working of the land, the building of the army and the economy—all these are perceived as an external garment, the national body being built, which prepares the infrastructure for the renewed appearance of the prophetic soul.
From the character revealed initially in a lowly form, and even in the character of Chutzpah (audacity), is destined to emerge "a light of splendor... a holy and polished light, upon which the radiances of the lights of prophecy will appear."
The process of redemption, according to this view, depends on repentance (Teshuvah).
However, this is not the repentance of individuals returning in personal repentance, but a "Great Repentance (Teshuvah Gedolah), which will revive the nation... a repentance stemming from the Holy Spirit which will increase within it."
The national-historical process of the Return to Zion is the platform and the catalyst for this collective spiritual awakening, which will sprout forth the renewed light of prophecy.
2. The Rise of Imagination: Art and Cinema as a "Pre-Prophetic" Awakening
One of the prominent characteristics of modern culture is the unprecedented intensification of the power of imagination. Rabbi Sherki analyzes this phenomenon, manifested in art, literature, and most distinctly in cinema and visual media, as a complex dialectical process
. On the surface, it appears to be a negative process of sinking into fantasies, often superficial and corrupted. However, from a deeper perspective, based on Rav Kook's teachings, this is a necessary stage of the "husk preceding the fruit."
According to Rav Kook, there is a hidden "counsel of God" in history, whose purpose is "to complete the imaginative faculty, because it is a healthy basis for the supernal spirit that will appear upon it."
After many generations in which the power of imagination was suppressed and neglected for fear of deviations, modern culture, through art and media, is intensively developing and empowering the collective imagination.
It is preparing the vessel, even if in a raw and chaotic manner, for its future sanctification and transformation into an imagination of holiness, as it was in the original prophetic culture.
The vision of "Pre-Prophetic Cinema" seeks to translate these insights into a creative-practical language. The goal is not to create "religious cinema" in the narrow sense, but to develop a new cinematic language that expresses a prophetic consciousness.
This language will be characterized by breaking conventional boundaries, by opening new dimensions of depth and vitality within the frame, and by giving voice and personality to every detail in existence, from the sprouting asphalt to the singing factories.
The transition from "prophecy" to "pre-prophetic cinema" is not just a metaphor, but an indication of a possible change in the medium of revelation.
If in the past the primary medium was speech and hearing, in the modern, visual, and experiential era, the new medium may be audio-visual art, whose tools can become theological instruments for expressing prophetic consciousness.
3. Towards Prophetic Art: The Vision of New Hebrew Creation
True creation, according to Orot HaKodesh, is not a product of technique or external talent, but stems directly from the depth of the soul.
"It is impossible to stop the creation of one whose soul creates always by its nature."
In the era of redemption, there is an inner demand for the "redemption of the soulful creation": to liberate the inner creative power from the shackles of alienation, fear, and exile mentality, and allow it to erupt in its full force.
Future prophecy, then, will not be an archaeological return to ancient prophecy, but a higher and more complex synthesis.
It will integrate the analytical wisdom, the Halakhic precision, and the depth of thought accumulated over thousands of years of exile, with the rich, vital, and renewing power of imagination of the modern era.
Art, and especially cinema, is the central arena, the spiritual laboratory, where this fateful synthesis can begin to take shape and mature.
Conclusion: The Future of the Prophetic Spirit
The journey of the prophetic spirit, as reflected in the sources examined, is a powerful dialectical journey.
It begins with an ancient holistic unity, where all the powers of the soul operated in harmony and the dialogue with the divine was a living reality.
It continues through a profound break and fragmentation in exile, a period of divine silence in which the complete consciousness disintegrated into its components—intellect, imagination, and emotion—each operating separately.
Now, with the Return to Zion and the national revival, we stand at the threshold of a new era, a period of renewed and higher synthesis.
The vision of the future, arising from this philosophy, is a vision of a renewed Israeli culture, finding its uniqueness and strength not in imitating foreign cultures, but in a renewed deepening of its original prophetic genius.
This culture will foster a holistic art, uniting the sacred and the profane, body and soul, intellect and imagination.
It will offer a unique message to itself and to the entire world—the message of listening to the Divine voice walking in every detail of existence, and the message of the ability to turn this listening into a living, active, and world-rectifying creation.
Click to read recent blog articles
bottom of page